Remains of a Fire - Dust, Ash, and Embers
by Nasserwraith
Summary: Metphies/Haruo. M(?)/M, Yaoi. PWP. Set during Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle. "Having not seen Metphies since the awakening of Godzilla Earth, Haruo begins to wonder if the time has come to mourn him. But when Metphies returns with the other survivors to rescue them from the Servums, the two are reunited once more." – Continues the relationship established in "Freedom"
1. Chapter 1 - Dust

**Dust**

Metphies/Haruo. M(?)/M, Yaoi. PWP. Set during _Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle_. "Having not seen Metphies since the awakening of Godzilla Earth, Haruo begins to wonder if the time has come to mourn him. But when Metphies returns with the other survivors to rescue them from the Servums, the two are reunited once more." – This story continues the relationship established in "Freedom – Parts 1-3"

* * *

"Am I…really doing the right thing? Metphies."

* * *

Knowledge is the answer to chaos. Wasn't that what he'd said?

Night in MechaGodzilla City wasn't really night. The light and heat of the nanometal reconstructions illuminated the ground and sky with a red-orange glow like a volcanic caldera on the eve of eruption. It was an apt metaphor for their plans, when Haruo thought about it. The rest of his combined company of soldiers and scientists were all either gathered outside the main control room, scrounging up rations and discussing the plan for the Vulture trap, or they were dispersed throughout the complex, asleep or engaged in other projects. The Bilusaludo, Galu-gu and Belu-be, continued to make micro-corrections to the EMP harpoons as Haruo made his way across the main deck and into one of the side corridors. He shook his head in amusement at their cantankerous mutterings; like two schoolchildren squabbling over a new toy. The corridor continued on for some distance and within minutes, he could no longer hear any other voices echoing through the halls. He tried a door on his left. Haruo wasn't entirely sure where he was going at the moment but he knew that he needed a few moment's peace before dawn.

The geometric gateway to a laboratory antechamber opened and he stepped through it, cautiously looking around the room to see if he could make out anything familiar. No such luck. The read-outs and metrics were all in Bilusaludo and he didn't have the energy or the wherewithal to try and decipher it. At least it was quiet.

Haruo stopped at the far end of the room and took a deep breath. A few more moments passed. And then he bit back a sob. And then another. His hands were shaking and with a soft but sad sound, he slowly dropped to the floor with a dull clank. For the first time in almost as long as he could remember, Haruo finally gave himself permission to grieve.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there or when the door behind him had opened to allow another to enter, since he never heard it. Instead, Haruo slowly became aware of a second presence in the room, somewhere just out of sight. He quieted. Bringing his gloved hand up to wipe at his eyes before grasping his forehead and testily pinching the bridge of his nose. He sniffed and hugged his other arm around his midsection, waiting for the inevitable insult or snide remark to land.

It never did.

The first touch came from behind him; a hand gently resting on his shoulder. Haruo stared down at the floor but his eyes narrowed. This position seemed oddly reminiscent of…. he turned and looked up. Metphies stood over him, his eyes closed, his right hand raised to his forehead in Exif genuflection, and his lips moving in silent prayer. It was the same position they had been in before, on the _Aratrum_, as Haruo had played the part of the good confessant for his cell camera and Metphies the dutiful priest during their exchange of the self-same classified intelligence that had gotten them here in the first place. Honestly, Haruo didn't know whether to laugh, or to hit him.

"It's you." Haruo sighed at last. "How did you find me?"

Metphies didn't reply at first, though Haruo could feel his hand shift from the back of his shoulder onto the back of his neck. "When you didn't join Martin and the others in the construction hall, I started looking for you. I saw you come down here a few minutes ago. Also, Yuko is looking for you, I think."

Haruo nodded and managed a short, stuttering, breath before scrubbing at his face again. He could still feel the raw edges of tears in his eyes and he was starting to get a headache. When Metphies made no further movement but to continue the light touch at his neck, Haruo reached upwards, without turning, to hold one hand outwards towards the Exif. He wanted the contact but was unsure as to whether or not he could actually face Metphies right now. He didn't know if he could keep it together if he looked into his eyes. So, he waited. When one of Metphies' hands finally came down to entwine in his outstretched one, Haruo suddenly turned on his knees and pulled the other down to the floor with him. The unexpected strength of the tug momentarily unbalanced the Exif and he dropped down to kneel in front of Haruo with an indignant grunt.

With an expression contorted by anger and pain, Haruo wasted no time in unlocking Metphies' flight suit by unclamping the sensors in the collar under his chin. He still could not bring himself to actually look into the other's eyes but he did take note that Metphies did nothing to stop him from unbuckling the primary support rings or from stripping the suit off of him completely once he had managed to reset it into stand-by mode. Having thus divested him of his equipment, Haruo unlocked his own suit and dumped it into a pile underneath a nearby table.

Much like everyone else, Metphies wore the same standard thermal bodysuit beneath his flight gear. Haruo ignored it for the time being and with a strangled sound, crawled onto Metphies' lap. The motions were hurried and a bit awkward, necessitating a fair amount of balancing and readjusting on Metphies' part (lest he accidently drop the young Captain and himself flat onto the cold metal tiles of the floor). It ended with the two of them entangled in a somewhat odd position; with Metphies kneeling on the floor with his feet under him and Haruo sitting on him by way of straddling his hips, both arms wrapped tightly around the Exif's neck, but with his back flat up against the wall and Metphies leaning into him for support. Only then did Haruo finally begin to settle, embracing Metphies as tightly as he could and burying his face in the other's neck. For a long time, he simply held him there and listened to the even rhythm of the Exif's breathing, matching it with his own, so that when one inhaled, the other exhaled. This way, he did not have to part from the warmth of his body for a second.

Metphies continued to brace one hand up against the wall behind Haruo so as to keep their precarious balance. The other arm he wrapped around Haruo's waist to pull him closer and let out a contented sigh when he felt the tip of the younger man's nose begin to drift up the side of his neck, towards his ear. Haruo squeezed him tightly. Where one went, the other followed.

"I thought you were dead." Haruo whispered, not so much directly to Metphies but to the stillness of the room. "When you weren't among the survivors in the Houtua cave…I thought…that was it. You were gone."

Metphies cradled his lover close and smiled. "I'm here, Haruo. I will always be here with you."

Haruo continued to glare over Metphies' shoulder into the shadows; as though he were daring them to come and take him or to even try and touch the Exif now.

With a shudder, Haruo steeled himself against the ache in his chest; doing everything he could think of to suffocate the sob climbing up his throat before it reached his mouth. This was dangerous. This was more dangerous than anything reckless or hotheaded that he had ever done before this moment. Having a lover was one thing; someone who could fulfill the need for touch and solace, for contact and connection, for release. But to fall in love was another matter entirely, and one that never ended well in his opinion. If he let his heart take control, losing Metphies could mean losing himself and he had no idea if any of this was actually going to work. If it didn't, he pondered, what would he do if he had to watch Metphies die? What if Metphies would have to watch him die? Would it be the same?

Haruo dug his fingers into Metphies's shoulders and laid his cheek, still moist with the tracks of tears, against his neck. He loved the Exif's scent; the curious mixture of something lightly floral with crushed leaves, or perhaps even a bit like vetiver; earthy but simple. He then began to reflect on how borderline insubordinate, yet profoundly indulgent, Metphies' actions had been in the last 48 hours since they had left the _Aratrum_. Unlocking the magnetic handcuffs and facilitating his escape from the lander. Turning over his command without hesitation after Leland's death and insisting on full company obedience to Haruo's orders. The firestorm. Coming to his rescue when the Servums attacked. Praising his plan to remain on Earth and fight. Staying by his side no matter where the Bilusaludo and the Houtua took them. Haruo wondered, was this Metphies saying, "I love you?"

Metphies made a distressed sound. Haruo continued to hold him but went along willingly when the other shifted his weight higher up onto his hips so that he could slide his feet out from underneath him and balance the smaller man more comfortably near his center of gravity. Haruo suppressed a twinge of guilt. Metphies must be getting stiff from kneeling on the floor with Haruo's full weight on his lap.

Haruo pulled away and pressed his back against the wall so that he could finally look Metphies in the eyes. The Exif regarded him calmly, with no hint of discomfort in his thoughtful gaze. "Metphies, can I ask you something?"

The Exif chuckled.

"Of course, Haruo." He whispered in response.

"Why did you…" Haruo struggled to phrase his thoughts correctly. "On our last night on the _Aratrum_, why did you let me…. have you?"

Metphies cocked his head genially but paused before answering. "Because you wanted to."

Haruo was not satisfied. "In all your years, you've never allowed anyone to…to do that with you. That's what you said. Why me? Why now?"

"I…" Metphies hesitated. "It's hard to explain. It is an extraordinary thing for an Exif to become…. receptive. It requires the intersection of three singular moments in our lives: a physical attraction, firstly, and then the formation of an emotional bond, which takes time, as you might say. And then, it must come to us in a precognition; we must…_sense_ our mate, in a metaphysical way. Absent any one of these events and we will not respond to another, no matter how much they might try to persuade one of us. You are…special to me, Haruo. Special to me beyond measure. I believe that you will bring new life to this world, just as you have brought new life to me."

Haruo's breath caught in his chest again but before it could become anything more, he leaned forward and captured Metphies' lips in his own so that he could drown his rising sorrows in a thorough kiss. It was especially easy to ravish Metphies' mouth in this position, holding his lover steady with both arms still wrapped securely around his neck. When he released him, the Exif quickly caught his breath and began to lightly stroke Haruo's thigh with his free hand.

"This is not, however, the best place for such things, Haruo."

"Yeah." He replied. "And I didn't think to bring the handcuffs with me."

Metphies groaned and furrowed his brow.

"But!" Haruo stifled the sound with a finger to Metphies' lips. "It's ok. It's ok, really. Because, I think…. I just need to feel you close to me right now. I really…. need to feel you."

Then he moved. Not his attention, which remained entirely devoted to Metphies, but his body. Haruo's hand left the Exif's shoulder to reach up and onto his own neck. Breathing steadily and leaning back to allow his lover to see him better, Haruo spread his fingers out and stroked his neck, keeping his gaze fixed to Metphies'. As Metphies watched with fascination, Haruo stretched his head back, baring his throat to the touch. Haruo then let out a long breath, still gauging his lover's reactions, and began to slide his fingers down to his chest. Metphies was astonished, to say the least, finding Haruo's unexpected display to be both arousing and provoking.

With a quiet moan, Haruo twisted his fingertips into the fitted shirt and made as if to peel it off if not for being thwarted by the tight fabric. He lifted his hand to his mouth. Metphies began to think that Haruo somehow intended to jerk off on his lap.

"Stop." The Exif growled.

Haruo stilled, an uneasy look traveled up Metphies' face but never met his eyes.

"Stop." Metphies repeated in a far gentler tone, his hands unwinding from Haruo's waist to grasp both of his wrists. Without rancor, he then lifted Haruo's arms over his head and pinned them to the wall behind him.

"You don't need to do that."

Metphies heard the soft sob of breath that caught in Haruo's breast and leaned forward to kiss him tenderly. When Haruo finally began to relax he released his wrists and allowed the young man to drop them back down onto his shoulders again.

Haruo was wary but gasped when he felt Metphies' hand slide from his thigh and onto the hardened bulge in his shorts, only to begin an agonizingly subdued massage.

"Please" he whispered.

"Please what, Haruo?"

"Metphies, please. I need you."

The Exif dropped his head and began nuzzling at Haruo's neck. Haruo turned his head to the side and pressed forward but only so that he could get the full effect of each of his lover's nips and kisses. He gasped loudly as Metphies bit down on his shoulder, effectively marking him but not in any way that his flight suit wouldn't cover.

Haruo looked down at him sharply but huffed in approval when he saw that Metphies had begun the task of dispossessing him of the bodysuit. First, he undid the zipper at the back, baring Haruo's chest to him, and drew the entire garment down to his waist. Haruo squirmed with mild annoyance as Metphies then pushed them back and away from the wall, turned, and lifted Haruo from his lap to lay him onto the hard floor. From there, he made short work of the bodysuit and discarded it with their flight suits. Haruo shivered but lay quiescent; underneath Metphies, undressed, and unresisting. To Haruo's complete shock, Metphies did not go on to remove his own bodysuit as he was expecting but rather dipped his head down and took Haruo's erection into his mouth.

The abrupt ecstatic cry that burst from Haruo caused Metphies to wince a little at the volume but he did not stop. Instead, he quickly reached one hand up to press Haruo back down as he relaxed his jaw to take his lover completely into his mouth. Haruo moaned and thrashed against the cold tiles, trembling as Metphies continued to work him into a frenzy. His mouth didn't feel quite as tight or hot as his body had but it was more than enough to make the human wither when the Exif alternated between a light sucking pressure and tantalizing flicks of his tongue.

"Metphies! I….I…..oh, God….." Haruo reached down to happily tangle his fingers into the other's hair. He did not attempt to undo it this time but rather settled for resting his palm next to the Exif's ear and playing absently with the curved tip.

With an almost inaudible hum, Metphies continued to work at the thick organ in his mouth, utterly enjoying every moan and whimper he could pull from smaller man. Haruo was beautiful like this and his words and thoughts from earlier had set Metphies on edge far more than Haruo would ever realize. For Haruo, any kind of sustained concentration quickly became impossible but he once again moaned appreciatively as he felt his lover lowering his mouth around him several tortuously slow times all the while teasing the underside of his erection with his tongue.

Whatever had possessed Metphies to do this was beyond him.

And then his lover was over him. He didn't know at what point Metphies has shed his own bodysuit but he didn't care. With desperate need and emotion still crashing destructively through his system, Haruo immediately pulled Metphies down onto his chest and was in the process of readjusting his position so that the Exif could take him when he found himself in for the second shock of the evening.

Pinning Haruo to the floor, Metphies raised himself up and straddled his companion by again balancing on his knees. Haruo reflexively reached up and steadied his lover by holding on to his hips as Metphies anchored himself with both hands on Haruo's pectoral muscles. With no hint of indecisiveness, he then slid back and down, slowly impaling himself on Haruo's erection. Haruo took a sharp breath and struggled to hold himself still as his arousal was once again surrounded by intense heat and pressure but this time, from the tight, teardrop, opening to Metphies' body.

Haruo's heart almost broke at the sound he made; a hurt moan that spread from the back of his throat and down through his chest. Metphies' countenance was strained and his breath came in short, anguished, pants as he allowed Haruo to push fully inside of him. He then pulled back slightly and came down again, forcing Haruo to plunge into him deeply, taking him to the quick in a single motion.

Haruo's eyes flashed as he sat up, stilling Metphies' on his lap and preventing him from being able to force a second thrust.

"Oh no you don't." He hissed.

Before Metphies could regain his leverage or even lodge a protest, Haruo furiously took ahold of the back of the Exif's neck, wrested control of his movements, and forced his lover onto his back; following him down and warning him with a hand wrapped around his throat. Not as a threat but in a demand for his compliance.

"Ah!"

Metphies began to openly cry out as Haruo took him, each deep, hard, thrust sending him into fits. Haruo kept his left hand pressed to Metphies' throat, the heel of his palm crushing down on his rapid pulse and his thumb digging in to the curve of his jaw.

"_Alua….ide…na-teru_…"

Haruo didn't recognize the words but shortly realized that Metphies had somehow reverted to his native language; a language that he had only ever heard bits and pieces of over the past 22 years. But Metphies' pained expression still caused Haruo to falter and he was not sure he liked the way his lover tensed against his thrusts or how the Exif grimaced each time he reseated himself inside of him.

Haruo stopped to gather himself and regroup. When he opened his eyes, he looked down to see Metphies staring up at him with a mixture of fear and anticipation. He relaxed the hand on his throat and drew it down onto Metphies' chest. Haruo then carefully angled his hips, pulled Metphies further beneath him, and lay down on top of him so that they were finally face to face. He then began to ply him with soft, hungry, kisses.

A few moments later, the Exif responded by pressing his tongue to the one teasing him. Haruo nipped at him playfully and felt Metphies respond in kind, palpably shivering with excitement and relief when Metphies answered one particularly silly nibble at his lower lip with a lick to the tip of Haruo's nose. With a renewed sense of connection, Haruo began to rock against the body below him. No hard or rough thrusts, just an easy momentum, as he began to passionately make love to Metphies.

He was rewarded with a breathless moan and the feeling of Metphies tightening around him. Haruo was near delirious with pleasure but wanted his lover to reach that divinely exalted peak first. Haruo shifted again so as to trap Metphies' own arousal between their bellies, letting its slickened head slip into the creases of his abdominal muscles and give the Exif some much needed friction.

"Come for me, Metphies." He gasped.

The Exif arched, wrapping his legs around Haruo's waist and pulling him into a more urgent rhythm.

"Come _in_ me, Haruo." He whispered.

Haruo continued to press his body close. He could feel the tightness in his loins, the blood surging into his limbs and throbbing in his ears. Instinctively, he ground his hips against Metphies. The need to sate himself with the other's body had become overwhelming and his pace increased as his hunger rose. It just felt so good; the way Metphies' body constricted around him, the hot channel tight on his manhood, and the moans that vibrated his entire body. Haruo almost gave himself over to his need.

Beneath him, Metphies was bracing his thighs against Haruo's hips and using them to meet each thrust. He heard a growl from his lover and smiled, despite himself.

Haruo's next thrust brushed against something inside of Metphies that caused him to arch upwards, the immense feeling of bliss dragging him closer and closer to the climax that his body begged for. His own organ, hard and straining, was constantly dripping fluids in response to Haruo's pounding rhythm into his body; his lover's erection working steadily against the sensitive nerve ridges all along his passage. Haruo seemed to be trying to wring his orgasm out of him. It was a sweet but unendurable thrill.

Haruo thrust once, twice more, and groaned as he felt Metphies climax. The Xilien clenched and convulsed before suddenly throwing his head back against the floor and loosing a harsh scream. Haruo continued to ride him as the first waves of the other's orgasm tumbled through him and he fell back helplessly onto the cold metal. Haruo kept his movements quick and direct, savoring the last moments of feeling Metphies' strong body taking him in and binding them together. And then he was fiercely, beautifully, aware of their perfect cadence and the way that the heat, the desire, and their wounded desperation, forged a connection more powerful than either of them could have predicted.

It was the moment he wished could last forever. With a despairing shout, Haruo took Metphies into his arms, pressed his forehead to his lover's chest, and came as deeply inside of him as he could.

* * *

They lay quietly together, the sounds of the room lulling them both into a kind of reverie. Metphies remained on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Haruo had carefully slid himself free from the Exif's body and moved to his side as soon as they had finished. He now lay curled against him, his head propped up on one arm while the other idly played with the shadows and flickering lights on Metphies' skin.

"You could have taken me, if you'd wanted to." Haruo murmured. A part of him still worried that he had hurt Metphies and he found that his emotions were still tumultuous and raw, despite the sensual union they had just shared.

"I know." Metphies replied.

"Are you Ok?"

"Yes, Haruo. I am well."

He reached up to rest the back of his hand against his lover's cheek and was relieved when he felt Metphies smile into the questioning touch.

"Metphies…. I…." Haruo was unsure if he should continue. "I mean, you know that I…"

"Yes, Haruo. I know."

Haruo fell silent and continued to watch the slow rise and fall of Metphies' chest as he returned to a more tranquil state. He then glanced over at the pile of their clothes, flight suits, and other sundries. It was almost time to rejoin the company.

He didn't want to.


	2. Chapter 2 - Ash

"Did you come to join the gathering, Haruo?"

"No, just a…change of pace."

"It doesn't look like that though."

"I think I'm lost."

"Come in."

* * *

"I talked to Galu-gu and he made this into my personal workshop."

"What are you working on?"

"It's just a broken sacred stone. I'm using Bilusaludo tech to fix it."

"The excess cultural inheritance, huh?"

"You feel lost, is that right? Haruo?"

"Do you think that it's right for me to be commanding this mission?"

"Everyone chose you."

"This is the Bilusaludo's fort. And our only hope. And yet I still can't help but feel that this nanometal is something dreadful."

"I find it…to be a sinister thing."

* * *

"The powerful and destructive name that we Exif keep secret."

"But…why tell me?"

"Remember it when you are in battle and about to be swallowed in fear. There is a far greater destructive power lurking somewhere in space. Compared to that, Godzilla wouldn't even be worth the fear."

"Hey…Hey!" …

… "Keep it with you in the corner of your memories, but listen, you must never say it in the presence of others."

* * *

For the first time in their dealings, Haruo felt uncomfortable with Metphies' proximity. His height, usually a source of reassurance and protection for him, became menacing. His green eyes, malevolent.

"METPHIES!"

The Exif took an involuntary step back.

"You do not need to shout at me, Haruo."

"What is wrong with you!? It's like…. for a minute there, it was like I was talking to someone else. Like you weren't even there."

"Oh." Metphies straightened, looking about himself curiously. "I'm sorry, Haruo. I didn't notice any change."

"It's this place." Haruo spat. "Martin said that a number of the others weren't doing very well, probably because of the nanometal. Maybe it's affecting you too."

"Hm." The Exif stilled thoughtfully. "It's possible, I suppose. But…I feel alright."

Haruo groaned and irritably clutched at the pain once more radiating through his chest. It did not go unnoticed.

"Haruo? What's wrong?"

"Ugh, nothing. My short-speeder got taken down in the firestorm and it…I don't know. Ever since we made camp in this city, it's been starting to hurt again."

Metphies stepped forward and raised his hand to gingerly touch the area where Haruo seemed most injured. He did not immediately detect anything out of the ordinary but Haruo's averted gaze and pained breathing concerned him.

"Come." The Exif ordered. "Sit here."

Haruo eyed the high laboratory table suspiciously but decided against arguing for the moment. As he climbed onto the cool, metal, surface and swung his legs off the side he watched as Metphies retrieved a small case from his workshop console and began rummaging through it.

"It's not much." He explained. "But Bilusaludo medical kits used to contain Esthesio-Balm. It's not a very good substitute for real medicine but it will help. Ah! Here it is."

Haruo sat pensively as Metphies uncapped the misshapen metal tube and approached him.

"Take off your shirt."

Haruo sighed but did as instructed. He then sat still, if sullenly, as the Exif squeezed the clear gel out onto the tips of his fingers and gently began to massage the ointment into the bruises on his chest.

"Metphies?"

"Yes, Haruo?"

"Tell me about your vision."

The Exif paused and looked up. "What?"

"Back in the lab, you said that your people require three things to…. you know…do it."

Metphies smiled. Deep down, he found Haruo's easy willingness to discuss intimacy, combined with his constant inability to put it into actual words, obnoxiously cute. He didn't dare reveal that fact, of course, because if he did, Haruo would likely never speak to him again.

"I mean, the first two I get. Attraction and bonding and all that." Haruo continued. "It's pretty much the same thing for humans. Well, more or less. But we don't have anything like the third one. So, I'm curious. What did you see?"

Haruo met his gaze as Metphies continued to patiently administer the salve.

"I was meditating in the ship's chapel one night." Metphies began. "It was very late but I hadn't been sleeping well for quite some time and I thought that I might gain some insight into what was troubling me."

Haruo visibly perked. He had never actually heard Metphies talk about himself in this way. He usually just recited sermonic aphorisms at times like this.

"I entered into the Gammatron space, the immaterial realm of thought mediated through our crystal links, and began to explore my uneasiness. At first, there was very little to see. The computations of the Gammatron sometimes appear and disappear like mist or wisps of smoke. But then I heard voices in the distance, like someone calling out and another answering but I couldn't understand what they were saying. I felt drawn to their calls, though, and I remember trying to move towards them. When I couldn't, I remember the feeling of being choked and smothered. As though I were trying to swim across the bottom of an ocean. All around me, the world was…shrouded. Hidden. Then, it was if I were surfacing out of a great depth, rising up out of impenetrable darkness. And I saw you, Haruo."

"Me?"

"Yes." Metphies added more of the gel to his hand and began to knead it into Haruo's shoulder. "You were standing on a ledge above me, looking down and calling my name. Then, you knelt and reached out your hand towards me. You were reassuring me, I think. You seemed to believe I was frightened because you kept telling me to take your hand, begging me to go with you. Over and over again, you said, 'I'm not leaving you. Just don't let go.' I remember thinking how strange it was and you were showing me a path, carved in a rock high above us. I reached out to take your hand and then, I awoke. I have felt you with me ever since."

The tension of the moment settled with the dust. The easy playfulness of their previous encounter had evaporated into a breathless silence stretching out between them. The heavy air of the workshop crowded close about Haruo's ears, filling his senses with a dull ringing. The room seemed to dilate; every sensation taking on a heightened significance. He could feel the movement of Metphies' hand in time with his breath; his breathing itself in a turbulent wake buffeting the sound of his own heart. Haruo appraised his companion from an aesthetic view: his slender waist and hips, the fragile-looking wrists, the delicate curve of his abdomen. How deceiving his bearing was. Metphies could break ribs with his bare hands if it came to it. Golden lantern light played softly across the Exif's lean features, combining with the shadows to transform the red haze of the reflected nanometal into a pagan mask of power and spite.

Haruo swallowed once and licked ineffectually at his lips. Metphies drew his hand away from Haruo's chest to look him over. The primitive mask slipped, and Metphies was once again mortal; solid, unguarded. Haruo saw the longing, the quickly concealed desire, flicker across the Exif's green eyes. He felt himself responding to the yearning he saw there, in that inexplicable mien. He sat back, momentarily retreating from the intense rush of his own desires. Haruo's heart began to pound. He wasn't aware he had been holding his breath until his lungs suddenly filled in an explosive, dizzying flood of air.

"What do you think it means?" Haruo asked.

"Means?" Metphies replied. "Hm. It's hard to say. The Gammatron space is a complex intersection of voices, memories, foresight, and inspiration. How much of what I saw is dependent upon me, versus that which may have come from you, is unknown. But the vision was clear enough. My bond is to you."

Metphies reached a long hand up to tenderly wipe away some of the remaining salve from Haruo's chest but that simple touch was almost more than the troubled young Captain could bear. He released another slow breath as burning fingers traced his collarbone, releasing a tremor through his body. His pulse hammered in his temples, and he didn't think he could stand upright on his own two feet at that moment even if his life literally depended on it.

Haruo broke the resulting silence first. "Metphies?" The steadiness of his voice belied the slight trembling in his hands. "Metphies, what do you want?" The Exif's name was heavy on his tongue.

Metphies looked down again, still unsure as to how much he should tell the impetuous human, but not seeing many alternatives given their current situation. He had already spoken the name he had not intended to, already revealed something about the destruction of his homeworld he had not wanted to revisit yet. But Haruo needed the words, and in a way, so did he. Metphies exhaled once, heavily, gathering his thoughts, giving shape to his desires in a way that he had not been willing to before.

"There is much we may forfeit in this endeavor. Much we have already forfeit. Even if we retake the planet, we may pay a price beyond what any can imagine."

"You think we're going to die."

"I think that we are on a path with a very predictable end. An end that we Exif have seen played out on countless worlds and each time, for the same reason. The folly of our avarice, of our insatiable excesses, has brought into being a universe which no longer has a place for us. A universe that is trying very hard to forget we ever existed at all."

"You haven't answered my question."

"No, I'm sorry, I haven't." Metphies sighed. "Haruo." The Exif stepped back to look the smaller man in the eyes. "The answer to your question is one you already know. I am yours. I belong to you. Whatever you ask of me, I will do. I will be with you to the very end. That is my intent. That is what I want. It is all that I want."

Haruo went very still, his gaze fiery. The golden light reflected briefly off of the side of Metphies' face before the shadows moved possessively over him again. In this moment he both was and was not Metphies, the friend and confessor coming to visit him in his cell or sharing in an evening meal. The sage and counselor, whose offerings of knowledge and philosophical wisdom were never withheld. The figure before him was the same, but infused now with a keen awareness of his considerable age, of his terrible loneliness. The Exif had finally become a truly strange and alien being to him now; not given to cruelty but inhuman, enigmatic but plain, distant but supplicating. It was easy to want him this way.

Haruo held out his hands, beckoning Metphies to step into him. When he did, Haruo pushed the images of terror and death from his mind and pulled Metphies into his arms, despite the fact that the other was still clad in his flight suit and Haruo had only his pants and boots remaining. "Yes." He finally responded. He meant the promise he was making.

For the second time that night, Haruo reached up to unlock and unclasp Metphies' flight suit. In some ways, he wondered why the other had even bothered to put it completely back on. Surely, he knew by now that Haruo's need for him was voracious and despite their coupling only a few hours before, Haruo was ready to feel him again. A single finger stroked across Metphies' lips to silence the rebuke forming there as Haruo carefully stripped the suit from the Exif's upper body.

Haruo then turned to the cinch at Metphies' midsection and began to undo the rest of his clothes, including the thermal shirt and bodysuit. Metphies could feel Haruo's eyes on him as he worked, but he made no objection as Haruo followed the baring of his skin with his fingers, and then his mouth, slowly stepping up the intensity of the touch. Metphies gently sifted his fingers through Haruo's hair as the younger man trailed wet kisses across the Exif's pale chest and up along his throat. Haruo's hands then found Metphies' face and the pattern was repeated: caress, taste, kiss. It started along his jaw, then to his cheek, forehead, and on to the sensitive curve of his ear. Then softly, ever so softly, over his closed eyes and down the bridge of his nose to linger, hovering, over his lips.

Metphies was so much like the crystals his people revered, simultaneously strong and fragile. Haruo continued to lightly brush his bottom lip against the Exif's, sampling his breath and the heat of his skin together. The whole image of his lover, so responsive to his touch, was just too much. Undoubtedly, an incautious look would have shattered Haruo to pieces.

Metphies' eyes were still closed as Haruo worked open the last few buttons at his side and let the Exif's clothing and gear drop to the floor, leaving him standing nude in the titian glow of the workshop. Haruo chanced a look down their bodies and gasped in quiet delight. Metphies was like a work of art; an avant-garde masterpiece of delicate lines and idealized forms rendered in dry-brushed light.

This portion of the ritual completed, Haruo moved very slowly so as not to upset the moment, and set about undoing his belt and pants, though he stopped short of actually attempting to maneuver himself on the table to get them off. Metphies would certainly see to that shortly. Rather, Haruo took a breath to steady himself, noting his lover's tense posture, the rapid rise and fall of his chest, and his eyes still closed... waiting. Haruo reached out with both hands to take Metphies' face between his palms and to flit a feathery kiss against his lips.

Metphies sighed and relaxed again under the exquisitely gentle touch, tipping his head slightly this way and that, freely exposing the sensitive places of his throat. His pulse throbbed firm and steady under Haruo's questioning hands and appeared to follow wherever the younger man set about to inquisitively stroke. He seemed to want to know every last inch of the Exif, every scented hollow and contour, every muscular rise or taut cord. He needed to know him.

And then Haruo leaned forward to kiss Metphies in earnest.

The sweet tastes of honey and lemongrass overtook Haruo as he leisurely explored Metphies' mouth, stroking the full lips with his teeth and tongue, savoring the wonderful, dizzy, sensations he always seemed to experience when kissing the Exif. Haruo tugged at the other's lower lip with his thumb, encouraging his lover to open his mouth and allow him to deepen the kiss.

Metphies' hands were cool as they wandered over the spare framework of Haruo's shoulders, testing the sturdy interlocking bones beneath the golden skin, lingering at the surprisingly hard plane of muscle that joined them to the slim neck. Haruo sighed and leaned forward into the

touch. The Exif's hands roamed down his back, shyly skirting the band of Haruo's pants to circle around and hold the narrow waist. Haruo caught his breath as his lover moved down to grip his hips and he sat up a little taller as deft fingers twisted into the heavy fabric.

The slow, easy pace of their exploration belied years of experience with the other that neither of them had. It was also making Haruo crazy with desire. He wanted to crawl inside the Exif's presence like a sanctuary, to pull his lover around him and keep him there. He wanted to immerse himself, to drown in those impenetrable green eyes, and to plunder every secret Metphies still kept from him until he was laid completely bare. It required every ounce of his control to keep from indelicately flinging the both of them to the floor. But instead, Haruo decided to channel his frustrations by helping Metphies to finally pull his pants and flight suit off of his legs and drop them over the edge of the table. Haruo then excitedly wrapped his legs around his lover's waist, pulling them roughly together, his desperate need clearly indicated in the short, involuntary, thrust of his hips.

Metphies' hands tightened around Haruo's backside, clutching the smaller man to him as their mouths met again. This kiss was no hesitant caress but an urgent communication of hunger. The rising need to touch, to proclaim bodily, to be part of the give and take of pleasure quickly eclipsed everything else.

"Haruo?"

"What?" Came the breathless, impatient, reply.

"Should we move somewhere else, or are you content for me to take you here?"

"I don't have a lot of time, Metphies. I need you. Right now. So, stop teasing me and get on with it, will you?"

Haruo felt Metphies smile into his hair as he drew closer, sliding him to the edge of the table with a firm grip on his hips. Haruo squirmed restlessly; every subtle movement bringing the heady, silken glide of skin on skin and the muted complaint of the table beneath their weight. Metphies kissed Haruo again, briefly, unable to fully sate his hunger for the human's exquisite mouth but neither were content to remain there anymore. Other, deeper, desires clamored for attention.

"Do you remember what to do?" Metphies whispered into Haruo's ear while nibbling along the delicate outer ridge.

Haruo swallowed and nodded before reaching between them to stroke his lover's organ. As he did so, careful to pull the skin of the other's shaft just far enough towards the head to extract more of the oils produced by the gland near the tip, he took another moment to admire the Exif. Haruo had never before truly appreciated the spare utility of Metphies' body. The long lines and smooth muscles were all pared down, distilled to the bare essences of strength and fortitude. In a flash of insight, Haruo realized just how he had managed to survive the destruction of his homeworld along with his people's endless exile in space. Metphies was like the spiritual Gammatron calculations of his priestly caste: without excess or frivolous decoration, just a slim, modest summation and singularity of purpose. The beauty of the purely functional design relatively incidental.

But Metphies was beautiful. And Haruo wanted him.

It was a long moment before either of them could do anything but breathe as Haruo continued to stroke his lover until his palm was slick with natural lubrication and the Exif's organ slid easily between his fingers. Haruo then released Metphies to prepare himself, his impatience showing in the quick movements of his hand and the drops of sweat forming along his brow.

Metphies pulled back, silent, his eyes unreadable as he searched Haruo's face, examining the uncertainty there, the fear, the need. It amazed him that Haruo could crave his touch so strongly, just as it amazed him that he had so much of it to give. Metphies knew in that moment that what Haruo truly wanted of him was his love. And he knew that he did, that he loved Haruo, and that there was nothing the younger man could ask of him that he was not willing to grant him. The pleasures of his body were small in relation to the whole of what Metphies knew he might offer.

Metphies willed himself to further patience as he watched Haruo work the warm oil into himself, pleasuring and preparing his body for what was to come. Metphies leaned in to encourage him with soft murmurs and whispered instructions until Haruo was thrusting back against the rhythmic pace of his own fingers. Metphies took note of the speed and angle Haruo used to ready himself before gently removing his hand. It was time.

They merged slowly, easily. Metphies held Haruo's hand in a secure grip, not quite uncomfortable, communicating wordlessly the depth and intensity of his responses. Haruo held himself still as the connection was completed, savoring the sensations of his lover embracing him and filling him. The gentle way that Metphies took him bringing a gratified smile to his lips. He laced his fingers into Metphies', returning the grip, lending comfort without the need for asking. Haruo was surprised at the overwhelming wave of tenderness he suddenly felt for the slender Exif in his arms, and wrapped himself closer against the pale form, enfolding him with the whole of his body.

Haruo was never quite sure who began to move first. All he could later recall was becoming aware of the easy rocking motion of their bodies, and the steady undertone of Metphies' voice whispering his name like a mantra. He remembered how Metphies had pressed forward against him, tipping them both back on the table as their movements increased. How Metphies had moved inside of him with persistent determination and a keen intuition as to just how fast and deep Haruo wanted him. He kept his thrusts firm but disciplined, so as not to unduly upset their careful balance. Moments later, Haruo pulled their joined hands down to his neglected erection, both he Metphies stroking it in time to the tempo of their coupling.

The Exif kept up a steady rhythm, letting the oil and Haruo's own excitement ease his way. Time slowed, exploding out into infinity, as their world shrank to the soft hum of Bilusaludo tech and Haruo's muffled cries. To the caress of unnaturally warm air, and the hot clenching heat of Haruo's body. Metphies pulled his lover closer as he gradually lost his battle with instinct and began to drive into the other's yielding sheath with impassioned urgency.

Metphies felt the smaller man tense in his embrace, curling forward slightly around their mutual caress and simultaneously grinding his hips back, driving the Exif deep. When Haruo began to moan brokenly, Metphies did not let up, dropping his opposite hand down to Haruo's hip to hold him steady. He could only have guessed how on edge Haruo must already have been when he approached him in the cavern because his orgasm came on quickly and brutally. Metphies held tight against the shudder of Haruo's release, pulling the trembling body of his lover to him, protective and tender and passionate all at once. Haruo cried out, a single exclamation not in any language but the one spoken between lovers, and spilled himself into their clasped hands.

Happily, Metphies pressed his face into the juncture of Haruo's neck and followed him over the edge with a shaking gasp.

Haruo held Metphies close as the other rode out the last pulses of his own orgasm, resting his chin on the Exif's shoulder. A glimmer from the far side of the workshop caught his eye and he irritably glanced over towards the control column illuminating the center of the room. The Garbetrium bead was abnormally bright; sparkling cross-hatches of orange light forming over its outer surface. Haruo moaned as Metphies bucked into him several times in rapid succession, seemingly oblivious to the luminous play going on behind him. Haruo turned his face possessively into the Exif's neck and held him tighter, instinctively trying to shield him in these last moments of vulnerability. Metphies finally stilled, resting against the smaller man as he calmed his breathing.

Haruo felt suddenly uneasy, as though he were witnessing something ominous. An omen of misfortune he couldn't quite decipher. When Metphies made to pull away, Haruo only hugged him closer; unwilling to separate from his lover just yet and, if he were being honest with himself, not wanting the Exif to return to whatever it was he was doing in repairing the old ritual stone.

"Metphies?" He whispered tentatively.

"Yes, Haruo?" Came the easygoing response.

Haruo glared at the bead, still not quite understanding his visceral response to its baleful glow.

"Metphies. I love you."

He spoke the words almost without meaning to. Without considering the full weight of their implications, especially as it might affect their current situation and prospects for the future. Haruo entwined his fingers into Metphies' hair and set his mouth to the other's ear with stern trepidation.

"I love you."

Metphies reached up and began to stroke Haruo's back in broad, soothing, sweeps. He did not attempt to pull away again but opted instead to allow Haruo to continue sheltering beneath him.

"And I love you, Haruo."

It was some time before they willingly parted again.


	3. Chapter 3 - Embers

Metphies/Haruo. M(?)/M, Yaoi. PWP. Set during Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle. "Having not seen Metphies since the awakening of Godzilla Earth, Haruo begins to wonder if the time has come to mourn him. But when Metphies returns with the other survivors to rescue them from the Servums, the two are reunited once more."

* * *

Fire. Destruction. Loss. The last two Vultures spiraled to Earth with a one final dying scream.

"Haruo."

Metphies' voice. His words. Disjointed. Floating in a strange, ethereal space.

"Those without intelligence will become lost…angry…."

"Metphies. Was your world destroyed by monsters too?"

The memory of their meeting in the Bilusaludo workshop returned.

"Yes. The being which brought about the end of our civilization, we hesitate to carelessly name it, it is our belief that words can have tremendous power."

"So, it's like a bad omen."

"But Haruo, given that you are about to come face to face with Godzilla, perhaps I should tell you after all. The powerful and destructive name we Exif keep secret."

"Why tell me?"

"Remember it when you are in battle and about to be swallowed by fear. There is a far greater destructive power lurking somewhere in space. Compared to that Godzilla wouldn't even be worth the fear."

Metphies was advancing on him again.

Hey! Hey!" …

The Exif leaned in, close to his ear.

… "Ghidorah." …

The world fragmented. Wisps of smoke and a callous green light submerged Haruo into chaos, somewhere in the distance a geometric shape began to appear out of the gloom, but he couldn't decipher it.

"Haruo."

It was Metphies. Metphies was calling to him. As though from a great distance. Haruo cried out to him but the sound couldn't seem to escape his mouth. He was drowning. Adrift in a maelstrom with no sense of up or down.

"Metphies!"

The darkness rose up to swallow him whole.

* * *

Raucous screams and laughter echoed throughout the opulent house. A gathering of nobles lounged around a low table set with a decadent feast. Servants meandered to and fro to pour more wine, offer a few delectable bites of fruit, or to flirt with the guests. Haruo blinked and tried to steady himself. His vision was hazy and the din from the party made his head swim. Who were these people? Where was he? A troupe of dancers swooped past him and he nearly fainted.

The festivities continued unabated as Haruo stumbled forward, still trying to focus on something, anything, that might orient him to time or place. "Careful there, my friend!" One of the nobles called out, "The wine is heady! And if you're not careful, someone might come along and see you to a more private celebration!" More laughter.

Haruo squinted, trying to get a better look at the one speaking. The figure was tall and slender; draped in rich fabrics the likes of which he had only ever seen in pictures. The long, tailored coat was deep blue with gold embroidery over a pleated white shirt that extended nearly to the man's knees. Across his shoulders was an equally exquisite shawl of sky-blue silk and a grey mantua cinched with yards of pearled thread. As Haruo's eyes drifted upwards he then began to discern other features. Long, white-blond, hair flowing loose and windswept. Thin, aquiline, features and pale skin with barely visible points of ears.

Exif. They were all Exif.

Haruo made a pained noise and staggered backwards before hitting the wall behind him. The guests continued their revelry without so much as a passing glance his way. One of them, dressed in a white-gold frock and satin wraps shooed a servant away from the table and motioned for Haruo to join them with a coy smile. The one next to him made to encourage the young Captain further by throwing his arms around the other Exif's neck and hugging him nonchalantly all the while casting a seductive look back his way.

Haruo scowled. What was going on? Where was Yuko? Hadn't they just crashed on a cliff side? Was he dead?

"Why such a sour face, sweet boy?" An older Exif laughed as he floated down a short flight of stairs and alighted onto a large lounge pillow next to the others. "You look positively ill."

"I…I think I'm lost…"

"Nonsense!" Uproarious cries erupted from the party. "You're right at home!"

"Metphies said you'd be along." Another yelled through a mouthful of sugared bread.

Haruo stared at him with a confused frown. "Metphies? Metphies is here?"

"Well, of course he is." The first Exif replied. "He's been waiting for you for ages now."

Haruo looked around the room, frantically searching out his lover's familiar face. Moments later, he found him. Or, at least, he thought he had.

Metphies, not particularly given to wild carousing even in these circumstances, was reclined, supine, alongside a reflecting pool, idly playing with…with…what *was* that? A large, amphibious eel wandered towards the serene surface to disturb the flower petals as they bobbed along. It was a garishly red and orange looking monstrosity, with spherical eyes and a grimacing, globular, mouth attached to a gleaming, polished, body some seven feet in length. Long whisker-like extensions splayed out from its head as it came up to meet Metphies' fingers at the waters' edge where he seemed to delight in teasing at the creature's upturned nose. Seconds later, not finding any food to be had this way, it submerged again and slid off with an indignant splash.

As for Metphies himself, Haruo had to take a moment to overcome his stunned gaping before approaching. Like the other Exif in attendance, his hair was left loose and long, flowing down over his shoulders and nearly midway down his back. The sides were gathered up into a loose plait over the tips of his ears and his characteristic bangs were trimmed to points but swept away from his face. He wore a tunic of rich, crimson, damask beneath a matelassé kaftan in chocolate brown, gold, and white. He was barefoot, at the moment, but a pair of oilcloth shoes sat behind him, only a few feet away.

"Metphies?"

"I think our friend is rather taken with you, lovely!" The older Exif loudly mused. "I must also congratulate you. He is as handsome as you described."

Metphies looked up from the pool and smiled. It was devastating, radiant, unabashed. It lit up his entire countenance and made his eyes sparkle with lighthearted merriment. Haruo had simply never known the Exif, any Exif really, to look so open or to smile so easily or brightly.

"Haruo!" He exclaimed. "There you are! I'm so happy to see you."

Haruo walked towards him cautiously as Metphies gathered the many folds of his garment from the floor and stood up. "I was hoping you'd find your way here."

"Here?!" Haruo hissed. "Metphies, where the hell are we? What is going on? Who are those people?!"

"Hush, it's alright." Metphies admonished quietly. "You're safe."

Haruo looked around the room again with a fair degree of agitation. Metphies reached out to rest a calming hand onto the younger man's shoulder before interjecting.

"Come with me. Let me show you something."

They stepped from the hall and away from the chatter of the boisterous gathering and out onto a balcony overlooking grand gardens below. As they went, Haruo began to feel something of himself again. Or, at least, he felt that he was becoming more present in the current moment, strange as it was.

Three suns mingled in the sky above them, bathing the world in blues, lavenders, and gold. The terraces beneath the balcony swayed in the warm, afternoon, breeze: red flowers atop tall grey bushes, stalks of dusty foxglove and goldenrod, and a smattering of bioluminescent berries like lanterns along the walkways. A fortnight to wander the cobblestone paths would reveal less than a tenth of the natural wonders growing around them and Haruo couldn't help but lean out over the view with a wide-eyed look of amazement.

"Metphies….is….is this…. Exifcalus?!"

Metphies chuckled and casually brushed a lock of stray hair from his face. "Not exactly." He replied. "Exifcalus was the name of our star system. This…" He breathed deeply in the summer air. "This is our home. Eremenayya. Sixth planet of the second star."

"But…how can it be? Your homeworld was destroyed. Metphies, how can we be here?"

"We're not, Haruo." He turned to look at him. "Not really. This… is the Gammatron space. The ethereal thought-field of meditation and transcendence. This is the place where my people stored their memories in the time of the great cataclysm that ultimately split my world in two. All these people…" He motioned back towards the party still carrying on in the far room. "They all died long before you were born, consumed in the fires of the apocalypse. But a part of them remains here, recorded forever in the crystal calculations that guide what is left of us now from place to place. Just as a part of me remains here. The part I hid here, to keep safe and secret, until I might have need of it. I'd like to think it is the best part of me, but whether it is or not, I treasure it because it is the part of me that… loves you the fiercest."

Haruo looked askance at Metphies. "What happened here then?"

Metphies sighed and rested his hands on the marble banister.

"It's a story you already know, I'm afraid. We built a great civilization with the most advanced technology in the Virgo Stellar Stream. We had the finest of everything. We were…a shining example, for all of those around us. But were also arrogant. Cruel. My people created beautiful things and were stewards of a beautiful world, Haruo, but they gave what was beautiful in themselves over to greed and selfishness. We became divisive. Quarreling over pointless things and caring more about our own power and dominance than anything else. We killed those who were different than us, including members of our own species. We exterminated everything that threated our sense of superiority. We destroyed our world. Just as much as the monsters that came to finally put an end to us."

Haruo chewed his lip before tentatively reaching out and gently placing his hand at the small of the Exif's back.

"Is…is this what you…used to look like?"

Metphies canted his head inquisitively. "For a time, I suppose I did. Before the path was opened to me and I joined the Order…"

"…and cut your hair."

The Exif regarded his lover with a level of mirth and then consternation. "Yes. I turned away from gaudy, tasteless, things. I shed my rich clothes and burned them in the ashes of my home. I cut my hair and let it be consumed on the pyre of my people."

"I'm sorry. Metphies…. I…"

Without a word, Metphies turned from the balcony and into Haruo's arms, effectively silencing him with his mouth. The kiss they shared then was easy. Familiar.

When they parted, Haruo felt his arousal stir and mentally chastised himself. The fires that burned within him never burned hotter than they did for Metphies and they never truly quenched. His heart was an eternal ember, always ready to blaze into new life the moment it was offered the slightest kindling, despite the horrors the other had just barely hinted at. Metphies shivered in his embrace. It was like a match to jet fuel.

"You're beautiful." he murmured into one finely pointed ear, brushing aside the wealth of white-blond hair his lover was now forever taming into ties and knots.

"Hm. Thank you." Metphies quietly rejoined.

Haruo captured his hand and drew the Exif closer. He understood that what he was seeing now, what he was feeling and experiencing, was, in almost every sense, a vision. That he wasn't really here nor was Metphies. At least, not in the way that they had been together every time before this. But this *was* Metphies. It was a part of Metphies that he would never see in any other way but this one. Another side of him was still bereft, however. Had Metphies escaped the destruction of MechaGodzilla City? Was he safe somewhere in the ruins with the others? Could this be all that was left of him? Would this be the last time he would see him?

Entrancing green eyes blinked up at him thoughtfully before Metphies breathed out deeply. "Will you stay with me, Haruo? Just for a time?"

Even if Haruo could have denied his own desire, he certainly couldn't deny his lover's. He kissed the other deeply, exulting when the lips beneath his obediently parted to his tongue's entreaty. Metphies still tasted of honey and sweet fruit, his own unique flavor lingering even after Haruo pulled away.

Haruo wondered then if he could mark Metphies in some way; if he could brand the heat of their union into his skin and, by that token, into his soul. Seeing the Gammatron space as, not just a recording of past events, but as a way to relive them and to keep one's psyche preserved, could he leave something of himself here as well? Something for Metphies to come back to, if he didn't survive this. All of these thoughts he contemplated as his lover beckoned him forward and began leading him to a small, secluded, alcove.

The entire complex was dotted with nooks and alcoves designed for private liaisons. This one was far to the side but still overlooked the gardens with an attached balcony. The walls were layered with latticed woodwork and gossamer curtains drifting back and forth with the wind. Where the floor wasn't piled high with rugs, a large cushion easily fitting three or four people was situated against the back wall and lavishly furnished with pillows, blankets, and a nearby basin of water.

With a sly smile, Metphies maneuvered around Haruo and pressed him backwards until he stumbled into the cushion and sat down. It took Haruo a moment to regain his bearings but as he did, he looked up at the Exif and realized that Metphies intended to strip for him. He started by slowly shrugging off the brown and gold mantle, letting it drop to the floor and kicking it away. He then began to pull at the ties to his tunic, watching Haruo intently as he unwrapped it from his torso and discarded it along with everything else. Haruo licked his lips teasingly. The sight of his lover's skin, his slim muscular form, always had the desired effect on him and watching Metphies slowly revealed in the golden sunlight was a delicacy to rival any in the feast from earlier. In other ways, the whole thing felt a bit abrupt but he didn't care. If this was a dream, let it be the best dream it could be.

Haruo leaned forward and growled as the Exif's tunic fell to the floor and reached up needy fingers to run them up and down his bared sides and entice the other to step further into him. "Your taste," Haruo murmured as he laid tender kisses down Metphies stomach and thighs, "Is intoxicating." Metphies offered a kind smile as he ruffled Haruo's hair playfully. In anticipation, Haruo finally turned to his own clothes, shedding them with haste into the pile on the far rug. Metphies laughed lightly but as soon as his lover was nude beneath him, he steadied himself against Haruo's shoulders before gracefully kneeling onto his lap.

Haruo held him there, wrapping his arms around Metphies and pulling him close. "I love the feel of you tight around me." He mumbled into his lips as more kisses were exchanged. "Being inside of you. Feeling you against me. It's like nothing in the universe."

"Do you want me, Haruo?"

"God, yes. Metphies…please…"

"Tell me what you need."

"You."

The Exif chuffed in amusement and began to bite at Haruo's ear.

"Tell me how you want me." He whispered hotly.

Haruo groaned and threw his weight into the other, rolling him off of his lap and onto his back on the cushion below them. With a few short adjustments he pulled Metphies beneath him and pressed his hips between the other's thighs, settling comfortably on top of him as the Exif wrapped his legs around his backside and hooked his calves over the backs of Haruo's knees.

"Like this." The younger man finally replied.

Metphies nodded and relaxed under him, submitting readily as Haruo touched his lips to the other's collarbone.

"I want to lose myself in you, Metphies." Haruo flexed his hips, testing his erection against his lover's untried entrance. "I want to forget everything else and know only you."

Metphies arched upwards, teasing at the head of Haruo's arousal with the wetness already seeping from him. "Then know me…. Haruo…"

He drove in to the root with one violent thrust, his hand yanking Metphies' head back and his mouth stealing the other's cry of penetration. The Exif briefly struggled against him, his entrance spasming at the sudden violation, his muscles tight and straining. His instincts battled with the pain and the pleasure of being taken completely, at war with himself as to whether he should fight to regain control of their coupling or yield entirely. He struggled but Haruo held him, dominating his lover with firm but impassioned insistence, gently kissing the gasping mouth and refusing to move.

Finally, Metphies went limp in his arms; his entire body relaxing in humble defeat to Haruo's demands. Haruo took mercy on him them, however, and pulled nearly all the way out of his lover before slowly sliding back in. Metphies dropped his head back onto the cushion with a low moan and only Haruo's enveloping grasp to keep him from collapsing completely as the younger man started into a deep, almost languid, rhythm. It was just the way Metphies found that he liked to be taken and he rolled into every one of Haruo's thrusts with a soft plea for more. Haruo moaned then, despite himself, relishing the sublime glide of their bodies into one another. Metphies remained unimaginably tight but unresisting and Haruo buried himself inside of him over and over again without hesitation. The cadence was perfect; allowing the both of them to ride the edge of ecstasy for a long time without the danger of losing themselves to climax too quickly. For quite a while, Haruo simply set about to enjoy the ways in which Metphies curled against him, resting his forehead into the juncture between Haruo's neck and shoulder as they made love beneath the fading suns.

"You…are…perfect." Haruo breathed into the other's ear. "I can't get enough of you. I…. I…. won't be satisfied." Each breath accompanied a sharp plunge into the Exif's body, aimed to tease out further pleasures by tantalizing him with his words. "I will have you. Completely."

"You talk about me like a prize." Metphies gasped, digging his fingers into Haruo's hips following a particularly hard thrust.

"You are sacred to me." Haruo whispered. "Call to your God all you like, but you belong to me. I will cut my covenant into your very being if I have to."

"You would wound me then?" the Exif challenged.

Haruo withdrew completely and then drove back in, forcing a guttural cry from the one beneath him. "Everything you are is mine. You were waiting here for me, not for salvation. It is me you turned to, not a shrine. The promises you make are to me. …Say it!"

"I am yours…. Haruo!" Metphies cried, sobbing as his lover set a harder pace. Haruo did not relent and began to work himself against the Exif urgently. Metphies growled and thrashed beneath him; not to unseat him, the grip he still had on his hips prevented that, but in unrestrained delirium.

Haruo forgot the crash on the cliff side entirely, forgot MechaGodzilla City, forgot the party and the Gammatron space, forgot everything but the one beneath him. He felt as if he were dying and being reborn through heat and light and flesh. The ache in his loins threatened to overtake him and tear him apart from the inside. He took several desperate breaths, determined for air, but unwilling to slow the pounding rhythm into his lover's body. The kiss he plied the Exif with then was rough and sloppy. He couldn't suppress the animal-like sounds that rumbled through his chest, thrusting harder as he neared his end, but he delighted in that Metphies responded in kind.

Haruo rose up onto his forearms so that he could watch Metphies take his final pleasure. He loved these moments, seeing the Exif lost to the rapture of their joining. Free of his frock and his duties, abandoned to desire, and completely accepting of every implication behind the unmitigated social and military offenses they were undoubtedly committing. With a devious grin, Haruo leaned up and over Metphies, tracing his lips across the other's neck purposefully. Then, without warning, he bit down, hard, into the flesh of his shoulder until he felt the pale skin give way and tasted the slight tang of blood. He wanted the mark to last, perhaps even long enough for him to see it on the other's skin when he saw him again.

"Haruo!" Metphies arched violently and cried out, spilling the essence of himself between them. The contractions of his passage quickly set off his lover's release, and he sobbed brokenly as Haruo's heat filled him. The younger man took full measure of his orgasm and thrust into him several more times before moaning something incoherent through the last few pulses of his completion. A moment later, Haruo finally collapsed and fell onto the Exif in sheer exhaustion, but he was not met with irritation. Rather, Metphies simply embraced him and allowed his lover to come back to himself safely protected in his arms.

After a minute to regain his breath Haruo withdrew, murmuring words of comfort and affection as he fell back onto the cushion at Metphies' side. But he was not parted from him for long and trailed the back of his hand up along the Exif's side to lay against his chest. Metphies shuddered beneath his radiant flush and it stirred Haruo's arousal anew. The Exif was fairly purring under the cool caress and Haruo could not help himself but to lean up and retake his mouth for a few more moments.

"I told you that I will never get enough of you," he whispered against Metphies' lips.

"Whenever you want me, Haruo. I am here." He replied, leaning down to kiss his cheek and forehead.

"I love it when you're like this," Haruo admitted. "You're so warm, open. Somewhere between dreaming and awake. I feel like you might even snuggle up next to me and fall asleep."

Metphies smiled at that and turned to nuzzle at Haruo's neck affectionately. "Yes. But I am afraid you will have to enjoy it as we are now. I will always be here, Haruo. I will always be waiting for you here. And one day, you will seek me out in this place again. But until then, you must return to your world and you must go to me there. In the caverns hidden in the cliffs near the city."

Haruo grumbled anxiously. "Will…. will I…remember this? Metphies?"

The Exif carefully sat up until he could lean over Haruo's prone form and meet him face to face.

"No, I'm afraid not. Sadly, the human mind is not well adapted to nor disciplined for the Gammatron space and it will be nearly impossible for you to retain the memory of this moment. But, it will not be lost. A part of you will remember this. A part of you will always attempt to return here, even if you are not aware of it. In time, you will be drawn back to me."

Haruo scowled. "But I don't want to leave…. I…. I want to…" He blinked. The world shifted beneath him and he felt as though the ground had dropped away suddenly.

"I know, my love. But the world outside is still very much with us…and you need to wake up now."

"What?" Haruo felt dizzy and disoriented. He tried, but he couldn't seem to shake it.

"Listen to me, beloved. You must come and find me. When you wake up, come and find me. I need you."

"Wake up, Haruo."

"Wake up."


End file.
